Conventionally individual authentication has been carried out mainly by using a plastic card with a magnetic tape adhered thereon as represented by a credit card, and in this method, information on each individual stored in the magnetic tape is read by a card reader, and the individual is identified by verifying the read information to data specific to a company managing the credit system. Recently, however, criminal activities such as forgery of a credit card often occur, and therefore IC cards which are difficult to forge have been introduced as a tool for individual authentication.
In addition, in a case of online authentication, the encryption technology or personal identification numbers are combined with the conventional individual authentication method for improving the security, and therefore the risk that a card number is illegally read from the outside is low.
Further there has been known, as an individual authentication method using a mobile terminal, the method for individual authentication in which a user previously receives individual identification data issued from a credit company via a mobile terminal and individual authentication is carried out by verifying the user's personal identification number to the individual identification data stored in the mobile terminal when payment is made.
In any of the methods such as the use of an IC card, online authentication, and individual authentication via a mobile terminal, however, fundamental solution to the various problems associated with the individual authentication is not given so long as the problems of “fixed information” and “presence of card writers”. Further, the problems associated with the online payment for cyber business, which is expected to substantially increase in the future, have not been solved.